[10/28/08 - 02:54 PM]Disney-ABC Television Group and Verizon Fios TV Expand ABC's Video-On-Demand Offering FiOS TV customers can watch episodes of popular ABC series just one day after their broadcast premieres.

Disney-ABC Television Group and Verizon are making ABC's video-on-demand (VOD) offering available to Verizon FiOS TV customers across the country. FiOS TV customers can watch episodes of popular ABC series like "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "Samantha Who?" and "Ugly Betty" just one day after their broadcast premieres. All the episodes are offered at no charge and in high definition (HD).

"We are excited to team with Verizon to expand our VOD offering to their FiOS TV customers," said David Preschlack, executive vice president, Disney and ESPN Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing. "This is yet another example of our dedication to exploring innovative models that enable us to both make our most popular content available to viewers on a variety of platforms and add value to our distribution and advertising partners."

Terry Denson, vice president, FiOS TV content and programming, said: "The addition of ABC's video-on-demand content is another way for Verizon to offer our FiOS TV customers the ultimate entertainment experience. And the new HD programming from ABC helps bring us even closer to our promise to offer FiOS TV customers access to over 1,000 HD video-on-demand titles every month by year-end. Bottom line: FiOS TV is the only service to consider for customers who want the best HD experience."

ABC's new content joins Verizon FiOS TV's industry-leading VOD library, which offers more than 11,000 titles per month, 70 percent of which are free. FiOS TV subscribers also have access to more than 400 all-digital channels, including a growing HD offering with 100 HD channels already available in some markets. Verizon, which delivers FiOS TV over the country's most advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes and businesses, is the nation's fastest growing television service provider.

As with other ABC VOD offerings, Verizon will disable the fast-forward option on the FiOS TV VOD service for all offered ABC content. ABC first made its fast-forward disabled VOD offering available last fall during a trial in California. During that initial trial, research conducted by Knowledge Networks/Statistical Research showed that users of fast-forwarding disabled ABC VOD overwhelmingly (93 percent) found the advertising acceptable in exchange for gaining free access to their favorite shows. The research also found that the addition of ABC series to their VOD offering grew new usage of the platform and increased frequency of usage by previous users.

For more information about FiOS TV's VOD offering, customers can visit Verizon's FiOS TV Central website (www.verizon.com/fiostvcentral), which provides TV listings and VOD title-search capabilities, as well as information on Verizon's interactive media guide. Additional information on FiOS TV can be found online at www.verizon.com/fiostv or by calling a local Verizon sales office or 888-438-3467.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 71 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About Disney-ABC Television Group

The Disney-ABC Television Group is home to all of The Walt Disney Company's (NYSE: DIS) worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The Group includes the ABC Television Network (including ABC Daytime, ABC Entertainment and ABC News divisions); the Disney Channels Worldwide global kids' TV business, ABC Family and SOAPnet; as well as television production and syndication divisions ABC Studios, Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Disney-ABC-ESPN Television. The Disney-ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney Network and the adult trade book publishing unit Hyperion, as well the Company's equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Networks.